NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - An endangered Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the female panther's remains were found Tuesday along Collier Boulevard just north of I-75, near Naples in Collier County. Officials said the panther was about 2 ½ years old.
It's the 13th fatal collision this year, out of 17 total panther deaths.
Death totals are down so far this year, however. At this point last year, 27 panthers had been found dead.
Biologists will study the panther's remains.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States, but now their habitat mostly is confined to southwest Florida. Only about 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.
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